US President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly planning to host a private dinner for Abe Akie, the widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.

The dinner is expected to take place on Sunday at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. His wife, Melania, is also expected to attend.

According to CNN, Trump and Akie have stayed in contact after her husband's assassination two years ago. The dinner was arranged at one of their conversations, and not through a diplomatic channel.

Trump and Abe Shinzo built and maintained a long and close relationship throughout the years. Shinzo was the first foreign leader Trump met after his win in 2016. Trump once called him "the greatest Prime Minister in Japanese history."

Abe Akie does not hold a government position, but she has been aiming to carry on her late husband's legacy. The dinner comes as Japan seeks to maintain close ties with the US before Trump's return to office.

Current Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has yet to meet with the president-elect in person. The pair have only spoken on the phone.

People in Japan have chosen the Chinese character meaning "gold" or "money" as the kanji that best symbolizes this year.

An association promoting the use of kanji announced the result of its annual poll on Thursday with a calligraphy performance at Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto City.

Chief priest Mori Seihan wrote the kanji "kin," which can also be read as "kane," with a brush on a large sheet of paper.

The association says the winner garnered 12,100 votes out of some 221,900 entries. This is the fifth time that this character has been selected since the poll started in 1995.

Association officials say it was chosen because of the many gold medals Japanese athletes won in the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. They also cite MLB player Ohtani Shohei winning his third MVP.

The officials note that the registration of Sado Island's gold mines as a World Heritage site was apparently on people's minds.

But they add that this year's kanji can also mean "money," symbolizing a number of problems in society.

They point to the political money scandal that has rocked Japan's ruling party, a series of robberies involving people recruited for "shady" part-time jobs, and the impact of inflation on household finances.

Atomic bomb survivors, or hibakusha, and their children on Tuesday gathered at a public viewing site in Norway's capital Oslo to watch the ceremony awarding this year's Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo.

The group is also known as the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations.

Eighty-five-year-old Morikawa Takaaki experienced the atomic bombing in Hiroshima when he was 6 years old.

He said those who died from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have their own sad stories, but there will be no hibakusha left one day.

Morikawa pointed out that it is time to rethink the strategy to eliminate nuclear weapons.

He added at his age he feels more strongly than ever that he wants to tell stories about the bombing for as long as he lives.

2024年12月9日

Japan's Empress Masako turned 61 on Monday. She issued a statement, saying 2024 began in a deeply painful manner due to a major earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture on New Year's Day.

The Empress said she visited quake survivors in the Noto region in March and April, when the situation calmed down somewhat.

She said she is hoping from the bottom of her heart that rebuilding work would make steady progress so that the day when survivors would be able to lead a life with a sense of security would come as soon as possible.

But the Empress said it pains her heart to remember that the area suffered damage from heavy rain in late September at a time when people were working toward recovery and reconstruction from the quake.

She also mentioned many other disasters around the world that were caused by torrential rain and other natural phenomena reportedly worsened by global warming.

The Empress said she feels that a sense of urgency over climate change and other global environmental challenges has been growing year by year. She said she believes they are among the issues that people need to join hands to tackle seriously.

The Empress looked back on the historic achievements by Japanese athletes at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics as well as Japanese Major League Baseball player Ohtani Shohei.

She said seeing such young athletes in various fields pave the way for a new world through their tireless efforts must have given hope and courage to many Japanese people.

The Empress also referred to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization of survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It won this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

She said that, as 2025 marks 80 years since the end of World War Two, she thinks about the pain and suffering of those exposed to radiation from the atomic bombings and also about efforts that have been made by people for many years to realize the abolishment of nuclear weapons.

The Empress said she feels it is important for people across the globe to try to understand each other and work together in order to build a peaceful world.

The Empress noted that a state visit she made with the Emperor to Britain in June was memorable thanks to a heartfelt and warm welcome during the stay.

She said she was glad to feel that friendly relations between Japan and Britain had deepened through exchanges of many people and on other occasions.

She said her visit to the University of Oxford with the Emperor was also a special experience and that she was impressed. She attended the institution for two years until 1990. The Emperor also went to the university.

The Empress commented on her daughter, Princess Aiko, who graduated from Gakushuin University in Tokyo in March and started working at the Japanese Red Cross Society the following month.

The Empress said she is pleased that her daughter is feeling rewarded by her job while receiving warm instructions from colleagues.

She said she hopes her daughter will continue working to fulfill her duties as a member of the Imperial Family while taking care of her health and gaining various experiences as a member of society.

US President-elect Donald Trump has met the French and Ukrainian presidents during his first overseas trip since the November presidential election.

Trump is visiting France to attend a ceremony to mark the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral which was damaged by fire five years ago.

Ahead of the ceremony on Saturday, he met French President Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace in Paris. Macron said that he is happy to again welcome Trump to Paris.

Trump said, "we had a lot of success, very great success working together, working on defense and it really seems that the world is going a little crazy right now and we will talk about that."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later joined the talks, the details of which remain unknown. But the three are believed to have discussed prospects for the situation in Ukraine and other issues.

They appeared before reporters after the meeting, shaking hands and talking to each other.

Zelenskyy posted a comment on social media, that said he had a "good and productive trilateral meeting."

He added, "President Trump is, as always, resolute." "We agreed to continue working together and keep in contact. Peace through strength is possible."

During the meeting, Zelenskyy is believed to have stressed the importance of a fair peace for Ukraine, reiterating the position that his country cannot accept a situation in which it will be forced to make unilateral concessions.

The focus is on what Trump had to say at the meeting ahead of his inauguration in January. The president-elect has vowed to bring about a negotiated end to the fighting in Ukraine.

Princess Aiko, the daughter of Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, turned 23 on Sunday.

The Princess graduated from Gakushuin University this spring. She has been working for the Japanese Red Cross Society. She also performs duties as a member of the Imperial family.

In February, Princess Aiko attended a luncheon for foreign dignitaries for the first time. She greeted the Kenyan president and his wife in Swahili, a language that is spoken widely in Kenya.

In April, the Princess made her first appearance at an Imperial garden party. In October, she visited Saga Prefecture. It was the first time that she carried out a solo official engagement in a regional area.

In Saga, the Princess watched events at the Japan Games sports festival. She also tried her hand at making traditional handmade Japanese paper.

Prior to that, she was scheduled to visit Ishikawa Prefecture in September to see how the region is recovering from the earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on January 1. But she canceled the visit, as heavy rain had just hit the area.

Princess Aiko, the Emperor and the Empress are said to be deeply saddened by the series of disasters. They hope that those affected will be able to live with peace of mind as soon as possible.

On Sunday, the Princess visited Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko at their residence on the Akasaka Estate.

A birthday celebration was held at the Imperial Palace.

The Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is finally looking pristine again five years after a devastating fire. French President Emanuel Macron has taken a look inside before the building reopens to the public.

The roof and spire sustained major damage in a massive blaze in 2019. But the arched ceiling is now looking like new. The walls and pillars are a cream color after being cleaned of soot and grime.

Workers disassembled and cleaned each of the 8,000 pipes from a giant organ. They also polished the stained-glass windows.

The restoration involved about 1,300 people. Macron said on Friday that the fire was a "national wound", and praised the workers for realizing the impossible.

An opening ceremony is planned for December 7, and the cathedral is scheduled to open to the public the next day.

An architect who took part in the restoration of the roof said Notre-Dame may look different, but she hopes people will be pleasantly surprised.

A funeral and entombment ceremony, called Renso-no-Gi, for late Princess Mikasa began at a burial ground in Tokyo on Tuesday morning.

The Princess passed away due to old age at a Tokyo hospital on November 15. She was 101 years old.

A vehicle carrying the Princess' coffin left her residence at the Akasaka Estate in central Tokyo at around 9 a.m. with her employees and servants looking on.

The procession arrived at the Toshimagaoka Cemetery in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward after passing the Imperial Palace.

The Princess' coffin was then carried by pallbearers with Imperial Family members, Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and other mourners watching.
A farewell service began shortly after 10 a.m. after the coffin was placed on a platform at the venue.

A condolence message was read out. Then delegates for the Emperor, Empress, Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita bade the late Princess a solemn farewell.

The late Princess' granddaughter, Princess Akiko, who serves as chief mourner, and other Imperial Family members, including Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino, also made speeches.

The Emperor and Empress, as well as the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita, were absent from the ceremony in accordance with the traditional practices of the Imperial Family.

Members of the general public will also be able to pay their respects at the site from 11:50 to 12:40 and from 13:40 to 14:40.

Japanese ruling party lawmaker Nagashima Akihisa, who is also a special advisor to Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, says he met officials close to US President-elect Donald Trump during his visit to the United States.

Nagashima, who handles national security issues, spoke to NHK at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Sunday. He returned from a five-day trip to Washington that started Wednesday.

The lawmaker of the Liberal Democratic Party said he met Senator Bill Hagerty, who served as US ambassador to Japan during the previous Trump administration, among others.

Nagashima said he asked them how the transition of government is proceeding.

He also requested the next US administration to take over the policy of deepening the bilateral alliance, as well as strengthening coordination with like-minded partners for peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.

Nagashima said he was told that Trump and people associated with him are fully aware of the importance of such relations.

Referring to an in-person meeting between Ishiba and Trump, Nagashima said it is difficult to select the right time for Ishiba to visit the US, as a budget committee meeting will continue at the beginning of next year's ordinary Diet session.

He said it's best for the two leaders to meet at an appropriate time, when both of them are prepared.

Imperial Household Agency officials say Princess Mikasa, whose given name is Yuriko, passed away Friday morning at the age of 101. The princess was the widow of Prince Mikasa, a younger brother of the late Emperor Showa.

She was hospitalized at St Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo on March 3 after suffering a stroke and aspiration pneumonia.

She was initially treated in an ICU, but was moved to a private room about 10 days after significant recovery was seen in the movements of her right hand and leg, as well as an improvement in her pneumonia.

However, the princess was returned to the ICU for more than three weeks through early September, after showing mild pneumonia. Recently, she was recuperating in a private room.

The agency announced on Friday last week that the princess' health was in decline due to deteriorating organ functions.

She had been married to Prince Mikasa for 75 years, who died in 2016.

The princess turned 101 on June 4. She was the most advanced age for a member of the Imperial family since the Meiji era that began in the late 19th century.

A series of farewell rites and events for the late princess will be performed based on precedents for Imperial family members.

A funeral service called "Renso-no-gi" will take place at the Toshimagaoka burial ground in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward on November 26.

Okinawa Governor Tamaki Denny has expressed serious concern over the use of Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft following a failed takeoff in his southern Japanese prefecture. He called the incident "extremely regrettable."

An Osprey of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force suffered partial damage when it lost balance while attempting to take off from the country's westernmost island of Yonaguni on Sunday.

The aircraft was on a joint field training exercise with US forces that began on Wednesday.

Tamaki told reporters on Monday that the incident occurred even though the prefecture had asked the authorities to refrain from flying the US-made tilt-rotor aircraft.

He said he wonders what Japan's Defense Ministry thinks of using the Osprey in Okinawa despite the local opposition to the aircraft's deployment. He said he will ask for the ministry's view after the ongoing training ends.

Tamaki added that he is seriously worried that the Osprey's operations could be close to a perilous situation and they may have become an everyday event.

He also took issue with the transparency regarding the operations. He said another serious question is how the ministry is giving detailed explanations of the matter based on facts.

The governor expressed his intention to carefully monitor the Japan-US joint training, and file a request if necessary.

Japan's Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru spoke to reporters after the dissolution of the Lower House was announced. He said he would use the election as an opportunity to gain the public's confidence and promote efforts at regional revitalization.

Ishiba fielded questions about his decision to dissolve the Diet at a news conference. He said he wants to introduce policies that transform Japanese society.

Ishiba said: "I call this dissolution 'a dissolution for Japan's revitalization.' New regional revitalization is an attempt to drastically change Japanese society. The people's confidence is necessary to boldly implement this transformation. I understand that we have to fight through this election in very hard circumstances. The LDP and our junior coalition partner Komeito will strive to secure a majority.

He also explained his decision to deny endorsements for 12 members of his Liberal Democratic Party, who were involved in the recent political fundraising scandal.

Ishiba said: "Lawmakers belonging to the party should face voters with sincerity, provide a full explanation, and seek their understanding. Otherwise, we cannot gain public trust again."

He added the LDP will not allow members who failed to report political funds to file double candidacies in the single-seat constituency and the proportional representation category.

The Japan-set historical series "Shogun" has won a record number of prizes at the 76th Emmy Awards in the US, including best drama and best actor.

"Shogun" collected a total of 18 awards, the most-ever for a single season of a television series. It has already won 14 awards at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards earlier this month.

Sanada Hiroyuki won best actor for his role as Yoshii Toranaga in the drama, which was produced by the US pay TV channel, FX. Anna Sawai won for best actress, while Frederick Toye took the prize for directing a drama series.

Set during Japan's Sengoku warring states period, "Shogun" features a samurai warrior and a British navigator who became his subordinate.

Dialogue in the 10-episode drama is mostly in Japanese, which is unusual for a US production.

In his speech at the ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sanada expressed his appreciation to all the people who have passed down and supported the tradition of historical dramas as well as the director and others.

He went on to say that the passion and dream he inherited has traveled beyond the ocean and national borders.